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y W. JOHNSON. REGIPROCATING BRICK MACHINE.

No. 499,230. Patented-June 13, 1893.

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' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. JOHNSON. REGIPROGATING BRICK MACHINE.

Patented June 13, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM JOHNSON, OF LEEDS, ENGLAND, ASSIGN OR OF ON E-HALF TO THESOMERSET dz J OHNSONBURG MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

RECIPROCATINGi BRICK-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,230, dated June 13,1893.

Application filed Tune 15, 1892.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, WILLIAM JOHNSON, asubject of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Leeds, inthe county of York, England, have invented certain 1mprovements inBrick-Machines, of which the following is a specification. My inventionrelates to machines for mold ing and pressing bricks, tiles, and similar[0 manufactures of clay, preparatory to burning or baking the same, andit consists in certain improved constructions and combinations of theseveral parts of the machine for accomplishing this result,substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the draWings:Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section taken throughthe center of the main working shaft of the machine. Fig,

2 is a longitudinal central vertical section of Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a planview of a portion of the machine enlarged. A

The invention described in this application is an improvement on themachine shown in the British Letters Patent of William Kennedy,No.3,578, dated October 17, 1874, and

also shown in the Letters Patent of the United States granted to meNovember 19, 1889, No.

415,343, to which latter specification and drawings reference is bad fora more detailed 3c description of the general mechanism, if desired, fora better understanding of the same.

A is the main operating shaft, designed to form four bricks at eachrevolution. Four molds, b, are seated in the strong cross beam,

3 5 B, which is framed into the two standards, 0,

c, and assists in holding them together.

D is a pressing head made heavy and carrying four plungers, d, which aremade to enter and fit the molds b from above. The

40 pressing head D slides up and down in guideways in the uprights 0.These guideways are in the form of slots passing entirely through thestandards, 0, and on the-projecting ends of the head'D are fastenedanti-friction bowls,

f, which are constructed to revolve when lifted by the curved cam-rails,g, 9',- these cam-rails are' attached to the inner faces of the two camwheels H, H, which are formed with gears on their outer peripheries bywhich they are driven. The driving shaft and driv- Serial No. 436,877.(No model.)

ing wheels of the gear wheels, H, shown in my said former patent areomitted, as they form no part of the present invention, but the machineis intended to be provided with them as therein shown.

By the rotation of the wheels H, H, both ends of the pressing-head D arelifted simultaneously bythe cam-rails, g, and then dropped, and it isimmediately lifted again by the other set of cam-rails, g, and dropped;these movements being for the purpose of allowing the charger, 0', tosupply the clay to the molds forpressing it. The charger, 0, slides uponthe surface of the table, is, and the hopper connected with it is alsoomitted for the sake of clearness of illustration, but is to be arrangedas shown in my former patent.

On the shaft A are attached two cams, Z, Z,

which press upon rollers, d, which are mounted to revolve in sockets inthe pressing-head, D, to relieve the friction. These cams come intoaction after the cam-rails, g have dropped the pressing-head the secondtime, and each cam is formed with a cam curve from the point 1 to thepoint 2' and then on the arc of a circle to a recess in the cam, andthen with a second cam curve from the point 3 to the point 4 and thencein the arc ofa circle. The effect of this construction is that after therollers d, d, are pressed downward by the cams the part of the camscurved in the arc of a. circle holds them and the platen in theirpressed-down position long enough to allow the air to escape from theclay beneath the platen before the latter is released.

The machine is shown in the position where the second cam curve ispassing over the rollers, d, and holding the pressing-head D firmly downby its curved part, which is there concentric with the main shaftA.

The charger, 0, is provided with a rearward extension, 0 to which isattached a cross-bar, 0 This is connected by means of the link, '10,with the lever, g, which turns on the fulcrum stud, r, fixed on thestandard 0; 95

and this moves the charger over the molds, :00

when the pressing-head D falls, driving the clay into the molds. The camrails, g, move the levers, q, in the opposite direction and withdraw thecharger; these movements being similar to those described in my formerpatent.

The parts of the machine thus far described are similar to those of myformer patent and the present improvements relate to the lower plungersof the molds.

m is a strong bar which passes across the machine and through the sideframe parts, 0. It has two links it, 77., attached to its outer ends,which are provided with anti-friction bowls projecting inward so as toengage with the cams, n, in the cam wheels H. The bar, m, has mountedupon it a series of lower pistons, 11', which are lifted upward at theproper moment by the action just described, so as to expel the pressedbrick from the mold at the proper time.

In order to provide for an under pressure of the brick while beingformed in the molds, b, b, I have connected the main shaft A and thelower cross bar, m, by means of two links or straps, S, S, which aremade endless so as to pass over the top of the shaft and under the lowerpart of the bar. The bar rests on two saddle blocks, 3, s, placed in thelower loop of each strap, and by thickening or thinning these saddleblocks vertically the bar and plungers b, b, may be adapted for pressingdifferent thicknesses of bricks. Similar saddle blocks 8, of gun-metalare inserted in the upper loops of the straps, S, being retained bytongues and grooves in the straps as shown in Fig. 1. The shaft underthese latter saddle blocks is provided with cams, s firmly attachedthereto, which are so placed as to operate atthe moment when the uppercams, Z, of the shaft A are holding the upper plungers down,by thecircumferential part traversing over the rollers, d, as shown. Thesecams s are therefore made at this moment to give an upward movement orlift to the lower plungers, I), attached to the cross bar m. The brickbeing pressed is thus subjected to an under pressure by the cams, 3after it has received the downward pressure. It will also be noticedthat the advancing portion of the cam, n, enters under the bowls of thelinks n before the cam, Z, has released the upper presser, which gives asecond upward pressure upon the lower part of the brick being pressed,before the cam-rails g begin to lift the upper pressing head, D, towithdraw the plungers d from the molds. The bricks are thus subjected toa double upward pressure and a double lower pressure before beingreleased from the molds. The function of these successive pressures isto expel the air from the clay, so as to produce more perfect brickswhen baked.

In order to withstand the strain of the double pressure produced by thecams, Z, I employ the wedges e, e, to assist or reinforce the straps, S,and prevent the bar m from springing in the middle. These wedges areconnected by a cross bar, e, through which is tapped an internal thread,into which the screw e fits. The screw is journaled in the cross-bar, aby means of the collar, e and hand wheel a attached to its outer end.The cross-bar e is bolted at its ends to the uprights, 0, of theframework. A cross girder, 0 in the shape of adouble T- girder, connectsthe two frame uprights, c, by passing across under the bar, m, and hasits upper surface beveled to receive the lower surface of the wedges 6.By moving the wedges inward over the top of the girder, 0 their uppersurfaces can be adjusted under the bar, m, so as to just bear upon thelower edge of the bar when it rests on the saddle blocks, s, at its endsand, therefore, when the cams Z, Z, press downward the bar will beprevented from springing by the wedges under its middle part. Theadjustments of the wedges, e, are of course effected by the hand-wheel eand this can be done with the greatest accuracy.

The operation of my improved machine, starting with the position shownin Figs. 1 and 2, in pressing bricks will be substantially asfollowsz-In the position shown a brick is supposed to have undergone thepressure of the upper cams, Z, and to be undergoing the pressure frombelow of the cams, s operating upon the straps S. A second pressure isthen given to the brick from below by the advancing portions of thecams, n, entering under the links, n. When this pressure has reached theproper amount the cam bars, 9,- lift the upper pressing-head, D, and thecams it continue to raise the lower plungers until they have lifted thepressed bricks out of the molds to the level of the top of the table 70.At this moment the tappets, u, in the wheels H (shown in dotted lines inFig. 2) strike the upper end of the lever, q, and advance the charger,0, pushing the pressed bricks from off the tops of the lower plungers,b,and advancing the fresh clay in the charger over them. During thisoperation the large end of the cam, '17., has passed under the links,01, allowing the bar m to drop down, making room for the fresh charge ofclay in the molds. Immediately after this the upper pressinghead, D, isdropped by its ends passing off of the square ends of the crossrails, g.This drives the fresh clay down through the charger into the molds. Thecam-rails, g, now enter under the ends of the pressinghead, D, and againlift it, while the advancing ends of the cam-rails, g, strike the upperend of the lever, q, and withdraw the charger to the position shown inFig. 2. The camrails g, now drop the pressing-head, D, again and thefirst member of cams, Z, Z, comes into action on the tops of the rolls,(1, giving the first pressure to the latter. This part of the cams, Z,will be noticed to be slightly spiral, increasing its pressure as itadvances. The

pressure is then released and is renewed by the second member of thecams Z. The con- IIO centric portion of the latter now holds thepressing-head, D, from above while the cams, on shaft A, operating uponthe straps S and the bar, m, move the lower plungers, b, upward and givethe clay the first pressure from the bottom. The main shaft progressingreleases the clay, when the cams, n, advancing under the links, n, giveit the second pressure from the bottom as before described, preparatoryto forcing the pressed bricks upward out of the molds. This series ofoperations is repeated for each setof bricks compressed by the machine,and its effect is to remove the air confined in the clay moreefiectively, not only from the upper part of it but also from the lowerpart of it, forming the lower surface of the brick in the mold.

What I claim as new and of my invention 1. The combination in a machinefor pressing clay, of the mold, an upper plunger mounted upon thecross-bar, D, and arranged to compress the clay into the mold fromabove, a lower plunger mounted upon the cross-bar, m, and arranged tocompress the clay into the mold from below, the shaft A provided withcams, Z, Z, arranged to impart a double downward pressure upon the bar,D, and then hold the same down, and with the cams s s and with the cams,n to impart a double upward pressure upon the bar, m, and the straps S,S, and the links, at, 02, attached to the crossbar, m, and respectivelyengaging with'said last-named cams, substantially as described.

2. The combination in a machine for pressing clay, of the mold, theshaft A provided with the cams Z, Z, and s the cross-head, D, carryingthe upper plungers, d, d, and arranged to receive the compression of thecams Z, Z, and to be held down by them afterward,

the cross-bar, m, carrying the lower plungers b, b, the straps S, S,connecting the same With the cams s s and arranged to impart the upwardpressure to it against the hold of cams Z, Z, after they have giventheir pressure, and the auxiliary wedges, e, e, arranged under themiddle part of bar, m, to aid the straps S, S, in holding the sameagainst the downward pressure of the last-named cams, substantially asdescribed.

3. The described method of pressing clay into the form of bricks in amold, which consists in giving a series of compressions to one side ofthe brick in the mold first, and then holding the clay at the point towhich it has been so compressed on that side, while a series ofcompressions are given to it on the opposite side of the brick,substantially as described.

4. The combination in a machine for compressing clay, of the lowercross-bar, m, provided with a series of plungers arranged to enter themolds andform the bottoms of the same, the lower cross-girt, s, of theframe, the

WILLIAM JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

. CHAS. GILLIARD, Clerk at U. S. Consulate, Leeds.

OHAs. J NO. BRICE, Messenger at US. Consulate, Leeds.

